I have been running around a lot for the last couple of weeks. I think I may be tired. Never ceases to amaze me that I fight slowing down so much that it can take a while before I realize, “I am tired,” and a lot longer before I will gracefully surrender to a day of rest.

Today will be that day. I will rest in the Nature Coast. I will just relax in the forest in which I live and enjoy the earth’s rhythm, joining in with creation.

I enjoyed a wonderful FAM tour of Citrus county last Wednesday, learning about the ancient history of this area at the Crystal River Preserve State Park by enjoying one of their Heritage-Eco Boat Tours and then visiting the Crystal River Archaeological State Park to walk where 7,500 pre-columbian Indians were believed to gather annually (right here in the little ole Nature Coast) before Christ was born – and after.

We capped our history lesson by beholding amazing ancient treasures from a recent underwater excavation at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge at the Old Courthouse Museum located in the Citrus County Courthouse in Inverness.

I have been trying to process all the information I gathered to write an article/page on the Nature Coast’s area history – and now I am realizing what a huge undertaking that is (think book, not page)!

Whenever I get overwhelmed, it results in mental depression. Over the years I have learned to manage this with productivity – the joy of accomplishing something or learning a new skill or solving a problem will override the depression.

Now I am learning that rest can help too. Remembering the excitement of new things explored and new people met is a good way to spend a rainy day. I think I’ll send out some thank-you notes for the hospitality extended to me last week…

By the way, if you like maritime history and would like to learn to make your own boat (yes, I wrote “Make Your Own Boat,” contact the Friends of Crystal River State Parks. They do a lot of maritime education with passion to hand it to the next generations.